Things to do in Nashville

Culture · Downtown, off Broadway

An 1892 tabernacle with church pews and near-perfect acoustics — home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974 and still a working venue.

Local tip: Take the backstage tour in the daytime and see a show at night; the two are different buildings emotionally. The pews are wooden and unforgiving, so bring a cushion for a three-hour bill.

Culture · The Gulch

A squat stone building surrounded by glass towers, playing bluegrass seven nights a week since 1974 with no reservations and cash at the door.

Local tip: This is where the musicians go on their nights off, and the Sunday night jam is a Nashville institution. Cash only, arrive early, and the developers have been circling for twenty years — go now.

Landmark · West End, near Vanderbilt

A full-scale concrete replica of the Athenian Parthenon, built for the 1897 exposition, with a 42-foot gilded Athena inside.

Local tip: It is genuinely full-scale, which nothing prepares you for. The art museum inside is inexpensive and empty on weekdays; the park around it is where west Nashville actually spends its Saturdays.

Neighborhood · East of the Cumberland

Bungalows, independent restaurants and the city's non-tourist music scene, across the river from downtown.

Local tip: This is where locals go when out-of-towners head to Broadway. The March 2020 tornado tore through here and the rebuilding is visible — which is also a useful lesson in what the storm risk actually looks like.

Nightlife · Downtown

Four blocks of neon bars with live music from mid-morning until well past midnight, free to enter, tips to the band.

Local tip: Go once, early on a weeknight, and go upstairs — the rooftop bands are often better than the ground floor. At weekends it belongs to bachelorette parties and pedal taverns, and locals genuinely will not meet you there.

Nature · Oak Hill, 20 minutes south of downtown

A 1,300-acre protected watershed with a lake, otters, owls and a strict no-cycling, no-dogs, no-jogging rule on the main trails.

Local tip: Almost every list sends newcomers to Percy Warner instead. Radnor is quieter by design — the rules exist to protect wildlife, which is why you actually see deer, herons and barred owls twenty minutes from Broadway. Go on a weekday morning; the small car parks fill by nine at weekends.